Bearded Dragons: Breeders in the Making

Becoming a bearded dragon breeder is a relatively easy process when compared to other lizard species. The pogona vitticeps have always been wonderful choices for breeding in captivity, as the success rates are substantially high. This ease of mating has played a huge role in their popularity today and has also provided us with a wide range of color morphs to choose from. Although breeding beardies is considered easy when compared to most lizards, it still takes a great deal of know- how and preparation to achieve a positive outcome.

breeders choice dog food

Before breeding even crosses your mind, you should have extensive knowledge of proper care. You'll want to know what is needed to provide top-notch care for dragons of all ages. This includes everything from diet, tank sizes, supplemental requirements, heating, lighting etc. This info should be second nature, when you have 40 eggs to deal with, the clock is ticking. You really don't want to be asking questions at that point, as it may be too late.

BREEDERS

Here is a list of what you will need:
A mating enclosure large enough for two dragons and meets all normal requirements (your normal cage is fine, if big enough) Egg laying enclosure with a 8"-10" deep mixture of potting soil and sand for substrate Containers w/ lids and moist perlite substrate for eggs Incubator (can be a DIY project) Housing for babies

Assuming you have the fundamentals down, you should be aware of brumation. After the brumation period concludes and life is back to normal, introduce the female to the male for short periods to see how they get along. If no immediate aggression is observed, let them be until the mating process is complete. If they appear to not get along, then separate them for a few days and try again. In most cases they will eventually take to each other after they've had a few "dates".

Once mating has concluded move the female into the egg laying site. It can take up to six weeks for her to lay eggs. Once the eggs are laid, place the female back into her normal enclosure to allow her to rest. At this time the eggs will need to be unearthed and moved to their containers.

You'll want a tupperware-like container with ventilation holes in the lid. The substrate should be moist not wet. The incubator should be around 82F and humidity around 50%. Around two months later you should have multiple babies running around. House them in groups no larger than 8 or 9 according to size. If you see any "bullies" swiftly remove them.

Bearded Dragon Breeders are part of a fun and very rewarding process. If you don't take the time to prepare yourself, your experience can be the complete opposite. The details in this article are enough to get you up and running and be successful, but improving your success rates with each clutch will take time, patience and a lot of trial and error. Stick with it and learn from your mistakes and you will soon you will have a nice little business for yourself.

Bearded Dragons: Breeders in the Making

A more detailed guide on Bearded Dragons: Breeding can be found here. For more information on Caring for Bearded Dragon s check out Joselyn's website.

Best of Luck,

Joselyn Rhodes

BREEDERS